Anja and Berthold raised Joshua in Bösingen, a quiet rural village where playing football brought joy to any boy’s day. Alongside football, Joshua enjoyed playing tennis as another hobby.
He would often practice football in his home garden and backyard, sometimes leading to broken windows from errant shots. Surprisingly, his parents weren’t concerned about the damage, instead finding a solution by replacing the broken glass and providing Joshua with soccer goalposts obtained from another team.
Berthold, his father, then directed Joshua and his friends to an unused private plot of land across the street, encouraging them to play there and enjoy their football without worry. Since then, young Joahus has never looked back.
We present the Full Story of a German Football Genius who is best referred to by the nickname; “Mr Versatile“.
Joshua Kimmich Humble Beginnings & Tactical Intelligence Roots
Our Joshua Kimmich Childhood Story and his Untold Biography Facts bring you a complete account of notable events from his childhood time to date.
The analysis involves his life story before fame, family life and many OFF-Pitch facts little known about him.
Yes, everyone knows about his on-pitch tactical intelligence. However, not many football fans have read Joshua Kimmich’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s Begin.
Joshua Kimmich Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, he bears the full name Joshua Walter Kimmich. The German footballer is an Aquarius like Jonathan Tah and Niclas Fullkrug. Joshua was born on February 8th, 1995, in Rottweil, Germany. He was born to his mother, Anja Kimmich and father, Berthold Kimmich.
Joshua Kimmich was born shy and quiet, but on the other hand, he could be eccentric and energetic, as observed by his parents.
Ideally, he had a smashing start during his childhood life. Kimmich grew up in the small village of Bösingen, which is located between the Black Forest and Baden-Württemberg’s capital, Stuttgart.
Joshua Kimmich’s Early Life with Football:
Bösingen is a typical rural village where emptiness ends for little boys when there’s a football at every little boy’s feet.
With no more than 1,700 inhabitants and along with the other boys in the village, football became a regular hobby for Kimmich.
Back then, Kimmich would practise in front of his home garden and backyard. As he did that, one and then too many windows would get smashed by his wayward football kicks. Surprisingly, his parents, despite noticing his deeds, never got worried about their son’s destructive tendencies.
Instead, they sorted out an alternative solution while replacing every single broken glass shattered by their son and his friends. As Kimmich puts it,
“One day, I came home from school and found two regulation football goal post in the front yard,”
Kimmich told the PlayerStribune.
‘A nearly local football club didn’t need them anymore. Because of that, my parents decided to take them off the team’s hands.
My dad took me and then pointed to the plot of unused private land across the street, not so far away from my family home, and said to me and my friends; boys, go over there and enjoy your football!!.’
Joshua Kimmich, playing football with his friends in the new park, opened a new chapter in his life. This made his ambitions of becoming a footballer just a passing fancy.
Back then, Kimmich would look to emulate some of his early idols, among them including; Zinedine Zidane, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Tomas Rosicky.
These were the only three of the names he had on the back of replica shirts. Looking at the roles these idols played could easily help one suggest the role Kimmich preferred to assume out on the field.
Early Career Life:
The sweet boyhood years of Joshua Kimmich.
Kimmich’s passion for football saw him enrol on the roster of a local youth team, which gave him the stage to showcase his talents.
A defining moment came when the team played against the youth team of Stuttgart.
“The local club was the club many other professional players had gotten their start,”
Kimmich recalled and continued…
“During the match with the stuttgart youth team, I scored all the three goals against them and we won 3-2.”
This, indeed, wasn’t a bad way to get noticed. Immediately after the match, scouts, including that of Stuttgart, started circling Kimmich like sharks in a bid to obtain his signature, with Stuttgart leading the way.
The ultimate decision was left to Kimmich’s parents. They initially refused an invitation for him to start training with Stuttgart.
Mr and Mrs Berthold Kimmich, however, changed their mind after the club’s youth team coach made a personal visit to their home to persuade them.
After spending several years travelling to and from Stuttgart several times a week, Kimmich began laying the building blocks of his career foundation when he was welcomed into Stuttgart’s academy as one of only 18 annual recruits.
Young Joshua Kimmich in his early career years.
Kimmich, along with a friend, was the youngest new member brought into the VfB Stuttgart youth team. At the club, he was given all the menial tasks but never complained.
All through his youth career, he was always known to be the last one to leave the training pitch, a sign of the determination that he’ll make it.
This feat saw him improve and surpass his teammates’ ranks. However, It didn’t take long before Kimmich developed a versatile dimension of play thanks to his determined character.
Determination on the pitch: Kimmich’s unwavering drive as a youth.
Joshua Kimmich Biography – The Set Back and Big Break:
A sad moment came for Kimmich when the coach who brought him in left the club to get bigger opportunities.
Kimmich’s quick development, coupled with his versatile displays for his youth club, saw him in a quick transition from a youth to a senior player.
Unfortunately, he had a major setback. Kimmich, having seen himself as a grownup and outgrowing all youth ranks, made a request to play for VfB Stuttgart senior team. We talk about a German top team that once boasted of having the likes of Serhou Guirassy and the Great Timo Werner.
His request being rejected brought him so much pain, according to his Stuttgart youth coach.
‘You’re not good enough, your body is not strong enough,’
Rising Star’s Heartache: Young Kimmich once faced a bittersweet moment in his early career.
The new coach told him, adding that he needed another year with the VfB Stuttgart youth team. Kimmich once recalled that the decision got him heartbroken despite trying to hold himself from the hurt.
Instead of remaining in a sober mood, young Kimmich found solace. He drew strength by deciding to seek his fortune elsewhere.
Fortunately, it just so happened that his beloved former youth coach, who had convinced him to join Stuttgart, had since moved to RB Leipzig, and still wanted him there. Kimmich once recalled…
“I just thought, I have this chance and I have to take it!!”
At Leipzig, the talented midfielder was part of an extremely attack-minded team, where he displayed his ball-winning qualities in front of a high-back four.
Joshua Kimmich Biography Facts – The Pep Talk:
Due to his young dominance, Kimmich got an opportunity to join Bayern in 2015 with Pep Guardiola, seeing through his transfer personality. On account of meeting Pep, Kimmich said…
“I sat down in a Bayern conference room at the club’s office waiting to meet the manager, Pep Guardiola.
The only thing I knew about Guardidola was the fact that I had only seen on TV. I was so nervous as I waited, but as he walked in, I felt it right away — that trust he had dalreaddy develope in me. From that moment, I knew I wanted to play for Bayern.
Pep spoke to me about his observations on my strengths and my weaknesses. Also, how he wanted to help me be come a better player by learning a different style of play.
‘I want you on my Bayern team,’ he told me. That’s a moment I will never forget. Since then, he had become a father figure to me.”
Since then, Joshua has risen so high in his defensive midfield capabilities, similar to Declan Rice and Rodri (also nurtured by Pep). The rest, as they say, is now history.
Joshua Kimmich and Lina Meyer Love Story:
Coping with the stress of football by creating a lifestyle off the pitch builds up a complete picture of Kimmich.
His relationship with Lina Meyer, pictured below, has played a vital role in the process of building a happy life for himself.
This is Lina Meyer, the lady who owns the key to Kimmich’s heart.
Lina was born in Bad Bevensen, a town in the district of Uelzen in Lower Saxony, Germany. She studied law at the university.
Kimmich met his pretty girlfriend, Lina Meyer, while he played for RB Leipzig, where she worked at. They both started as best friends and later became lovers.
Kimmich’s footwork and determination to succeed on-pitch are constantly refuelled by ever-beautiful Lina.
By looking at both lovers below, fans would find it difficult to believe that Lina Meyer is three years older than her boyfriend.
True Love Fuels Success: Joshua Kimmich and Lina Meyer’s radiant connection.
Thanks to her beauty, Lina has become a favourite amongst German WAGs.
Joshua Kimmich Family Life:
This section of our Biography tells you more information about Josh’s parents. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Joshua Kimmich’s Parents:
Below are Kimmich’s proud parents, Anja and Berthold, at their son’s award night for the title of the most popular athletes in the district of Rottweil, their hometown.
Beaming with Pride: Anja and Berthold Kimmich, the pillars of support behind Joshua’s success, celebrate his recognition as a hometown hero in Rottweil.
Joshua Kimmich’s father, Berthold, once played German amateur football. Berthold currently lives with his wife Anja (mother of Kimmich) in Bösingen, near Rottweil, Southwest Germany.
He is credited for being a father who delivers his own special “Pep Talk” to his son, thus making him more courageous and enthusiastic. This he has done, to the amazement of onlookers, as seen below.
Both parents, especially his mum, Anja Kimmich, miss their son more each time he is away for football commitments. Both mother and son bonding is agelong, as seen in the photo below.
Anja talks with Joshua on the phone a lot. Much of what is discussed entails Anja giving her son instructions and cooking tips. She is responsible for naming her son ‘Joshua’, who is the servant of Moses from the Old Testament of the Bible.
Joshua Kimmich’s Sister:
While his parents stay far away from him, Debora Joshua, his sister, stays much closer. Debora lives in Munich in a shared flat rented by her brother.
Two years ago (from the time of writing this Bio), Debora was an undergraduate student in Munich. She is the reason why his brother wants to further his education at some point in his football career.
Kimmich graduated with a grade of 1.7. In addition to football, Kimmich wants to study, preferably business administration, at some point in his career.
Debora, his sister, is known to have pretty long blonde hair and a well-toned body. She is always in the stands supporting her brother.
UNCLE: Joshua Kimmich has an Uncle named Walter who, just like him, is also a star in the family. With the band “Brillant”, Walter is a successful pop singer.
Joshua Kimmich Personal Facts:
- Asides from football, his other hobby is “tennis”. His favourite food is spaetzle, and he hates tattoos.
- Kimmich is a deep thinker and highly intellectual person who love helping others. He is able to see without prejudice on both sides, which makes him someone who can easily solve problems.
- Although he can easily adapt to the energy that surrounds him, Kimmich could have a deep need to be at some time, alone and away from everything.
This he does in order to restore his strength and have a career reflection. He looks at the football pitch as a place full of possibilities.
- Kimmich uses his mind at every opportunity in the pitch. He has this visionary quality which is capable of perceiving the future as regards his performance. When he was in the academy, he knew exactly what he needed to see himself through.
Comparison with Philipp Lahm:
Joshua Kimmich is a top-notch Defensive midfielder whose mould we see in Marc Casadó today. But over the years, his other position on the pitch, for both club and country, has drawn so many comparisons with Philipp Lahm, the Bayern and Germany legend.
Echoes of a Legend: Kimmich’s Role Reflects Lahm’s Legacy.
- Fans could argue that Kimmich has a more a natural instinct to attack than Lahm, his predecessor. Kimmich’s tactical intelligence especially when he bursts forward marks him out as a footballer with more of a striker’s instinct than a defender.
Despite being compared to the Great Lahm, Kimmich once made it clear that he wanted to carve his own path in his career. In other words, he once emphasised his desire to “have his own way”. However, the comparisons persist, and they seem to work in his favour.
Now here are other comparisons;
- Kimmich had seven goals in 71 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern, while Lahm scored 12 in 332.
- Also, to buttress he is greater than Lahm, Kimmich was the first to have at least three or more goals for Germany in 25 appearances (which he achieved in May 2016), while Lahm managed to get five goals in 113 caps – spread over 11 years.
The simple summary is that Kimmich is not a Lahm BUT a Lahm-Müller hybrid. He is indeed a “veritable Swiss Army knife of a player”.
Fact Check:
We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver you German Football Stories. The Life History of Jamaal Musiala and Nico Schlotterbeck will excite you. Thanks for reading our Joshua Kimmich Childhood Story, plus untold biography facts.
